A Goodbye And A Promise
by ResplendentQuetzal
Summary: Vivi says a private goodbye to a sleeping Luffy, only to have him awake. Will she tell him how she feels? :O
1. Chapter 1

Hey,

I own nothing.

Vivi x Luffy. If you don't like the pairing, don't read it. Simple.

Might change rating to M as there may be a lemon in chapter three. Still not decided.

First publish fan-fiction. Please review.

Actually if you read the first bit and hate it, don't read the rest and write a hate review. It's just your faukt for reading it. And it's unproductive.

Despite all that, ENJOY!!!

I trod carefully along the corridor, taking care not to wake any of the Straw Hat crew, especially the one I was going to see. I turned into the third door on the left and confirmed it as the correct one when I heard the soft snoring of its occupant. The boy laid with his limbs splayed across the bed, taking up more space than I thought the be humanly possible. I patted down the blanket in search of a clear space in which to sit. _But then again_, I thought, _Luffy has always been something more than just human_.Leaning over, I brushed one of the dark strand off hair off of his face, resisting the urge to stroke the soft skin underneath. In his sleep, he always looked so young, and vulnerable. So different to his usual self. I smiled as I remembered what he had done for me at exactly 4.45 p.m. two days ago. Crocodile. A schibukai. Flying through the air. Defeated. It was all over. Arabasta was safe. I was safe. The Straw Hats were safe.

Luffy was safe.

Making it only a matter of time before he left again, and however much I wanted to, the love of my country, which for so long had been the only true love in my heart, would stop me from following. I stared at his features, trying my best to etch every little detail into my memory from when I would next need to call upon his strength, without him being there. How was it, that this boy before me, looking so peaceful in his sleep, could give me back my country whilst taking away my heart.

"I can hear you." Those were the word he said when I realised he was always going to be more than a Nakama to me. Catching me on Pell's back, saving my life again, he knew just what to say, what I needed to hear to convince me that the shred of hope I had been clinging on to still existed. So honest, always speaking with his heart, to the point where there was never even an argument between that and his mind. Oh, and he spoke from his stomach too and I giggled quietly as I savoured the times I had watched him eat in a way that seemed to defy nature. It wasn't the most pleasant memory of him, but it was certainly a trait unique only to him. He twitched at the sound and I instantly clamped my mouth shut, drawing my hand away from his face, careful not to disturb him further.

Had I been paying attention to any part of him other than his face, I would have seen the hand wrap around my wrist before I felt it, and wold have saved myself the embarrassment of emitting a small scream of surprise. "Vivi?" he moaned groggily. I didn't know what to say. He'd never woken up before. All the nights during our journey through Arabasta, the nights I had stayed awake to watch him sleep, he had never woken up. I didn't know what to do. Wasn't prepared. Wasn't ready. "Vivi, is that you?" I answered with a single nod. This was too much. It was supposed to be secret. He shouldn't have known I was here. But soon I wouldn't have to him from him anymore. Because he'd be gone. Fighting. Saving lives. Gaining Nakama. Chasing his dream. Without me. I collapsed on his chest and sobbed into his neck, entwining my arms around his body. After a hesitant moment he placed his arms around me, too. "Why are you crying Vivi? It's all over, Crocodile's gone." _Exactly, everything is over._ I still couldn't bring myself to say anything as his hand soothingly stroked my back. I squeezed him tighter, trying to merge him and I into one person, even if only for a few moment. He didn't flinch or back off. If he felt uncomfortable he didn't show it.

Was I supposed to do what I wanted to do, or what I knew was the right thing to do. The right thing was to get up. Walk away. Feign that the last few days had made me over tired and over emotional. But what about my heart, telling me to show Luffy how I felt, even if it only meant rejection.

I decided to follow the same internal voice as the person I was in love with.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, just a quick couple of notes:

I'm gonna go for the lemon so will change the rating to M. Please Don't keep reading if you're not at a reasonable age. Or just skip chapter three.

I've hand written Chapter 3 and the first couple of chapters for the follow up story (so much for a long one-shot) so just need to convince myself typing is better than writing new stuff. :P

Please review!!

GemmaDominique x

* * *

I kissed him. Simply. Just pressing my lips to his for a brief moment.

I pulled back, looking down and chewing my lower lip. _What have I done? _This was most likely to be my last night with him and I had just gambled it away on an errant hope that he might feel the same way as I. Tears still streams down my face, but I ignored them, letting them fall from the end of my nose and my chin. Luffy didn't. He released the wrist he had remained holding on to and traced the tip of his thumb across each of my cheeks, brushing away any water there. I spoke for the first time that night.

"Luffy."

I had so many things to tell him, and all I could say was his name. He lifted his head slightly and his mouth met mine again. Some people say that when they find a soul-deep connection in a kiss, it is like fire or electricity, powering through them and making them feel completely alive, but Luffy was like Novocaine, slowly, surely, flowing through my body and numbing all of the pain, making anything outside of this room a dreamy blur. The only clear thing I could see, feel, touch, was him. He moved his hands down to my waist, pulling me down on top of him, so that there was no longer any space between our two bodies. He entwined his arms around me, his mouth opening and encouraging mine to do so to, following the soothing rhythm he was setting.

Following my instincts, I brushed my tongueb across his lower lip, and felt him shiver with pleasure. Our tongues met and my insentitivity to the outside world rose to the point where anything that wasn't Luffy didn't exist. He was my air, my water, and everything else I needed to live.

He broke away and we both gasped for air, aware for the first time that I was in need of it. With the air came the return of the outside world. I remembered why I had come tonight, as he realised and remembered too. "This is goodbye, isn't it? You're not going to come with us. Even though you love me, and the rest of the crew, more than you really love your country, it still doesn't match the way you hate to see suffering and you could bear to cause the pain you would if you left. Just like I love you but could never stay away from the sea."

I was speechless, so I just continued to stroke his face, my fingers began to trace the scar beneath his eye. It was true. All so true. I could never leave here, it was my home. The people who had died were my people. Those still alive were my people too, and even more than I needed Luffy, they needed me. I could never let them down. But with that realisation came a twisted sense of relief. Luffy had still wanted me to come with him and at the same time understood perfectly why I wouldn't. He also knew how I felt about him and was still here with me, not pushing me away but welcoming me closer. And he loved me too. He said it. I put all of my weight on his chest for a moment as I drew my legs up onto the bed and placed them either side of his. I lowered my head down to his neck and kissed it, sucking hard, leaving my mark on him before tracing my tongue up to his jaw bone, where I continued to caress him with lips and nibble him, watching him close his eyes in bliss. He opened them and moved his hands to my shoulders, pushing me away from him. I sat up fully and realised I was sitting on his thighs, and my thoughts turned to what was in front of me. But he had just pushed me away. I felt my eyes burn again, though this time with the humiliation of rejection.

But I was wrong. His left hand let go of my shoulder and he drew his index finger along my collar bone, before dropping his hand down to the top button of m night gown. I let out a small gasp and looked at his face as I realised what he anted. For the first time since I had met his, Luffy looked nervous. Tugging gently on his lower lip, he looked up into my eyes. Pleading.

"Can I, Vivi?"


End file.
